Virginia Farm Bureau Federation AgPAC has announced its endorsement of Ed Gillespie, the Republican candidate for governor; Jill Vogel, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor; and John Adams, the Republican candidate for attorney general.
“The individuals we endorsed have demonstrated their support for farmers through their commitments in their platforms on specific issues, or their experience while holding positions in the General Assembly,” said Wayne F. Pryor, VFBF president and chairman of the VFBF AgPAC board of trustees. “We believe we have endorsed three candidates who involved farmers in determining their policy platforms and have stronger commitments on how they will continue to help agriculture and forestry remain viable and Virginia’s largest industry.”Pryor said Gillespie “has a detailed policy platform that includes a commitment to find a solution for providing an adequate, stable, reliable funding source for agriculture best management practices; supporting broader domestic and international marketing of Virginia products; and working to centralize information to support increased production and profitability opportunities for all farmers.”
He also commented that the AgPAC board praised Gillespie for his visibility at agricultural events around the commonwealth and for visiting farms to listen and learn more about how to help the agriculture community once elected.
Pryor said Vogel “has an excellent agriculture-friendly voting record on key issues important to farmers. She has helped to support key agriculture budget initiatives while serving on the Senate Finance Committee. She has experience working with senators from both parties, which should best enable her to lead the Senate of Virginia.”
Adams, Pryor explained, has a strong legal foundation with a strong belief in property rights as a fundamental right. He said the AgPAC board liked Adams’ willingness to work with farmers against overzealous federal agencies seeking to take on more authority through increasing guidance documents that have not received proper legislative authority. Adams, Pryor said, “wants agriculture and forestry to be represented in his office to help address issues important to our industry.”
The nonpartisan VFBF AgPAC was created by Farm Bureau in 1999 and employs in-kind contributions to support candidates who can best support agriculture and Farm Bureau issues.
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Chris Graham
